Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is one of Murakami’s more challenging novels, blending magical realism with dense literary and philosophical themes. Fans of 1Q84 and Killing Commendatore will recognize the dreamlike logic, shifting realities, and mythic undertones, but this novel (which predates 1Q84) leans even further into the labyrinthine. As with many of his novels Murakami uses dual protagonists. Kafka Tamura, the runaway 15-year-old, embarks on a mythic, psychological journey, while Nakata, an elderly man who lost his intelligence in a mysterious childhood event, follows a more whimsical, fate-driven path. The two characters exist on parallel but interconnected tracks, embodying different ways of perceiving reality. Kafka struggles against his supposed fate, while Nakata drifts with the current of events, his ability to speak to cats and his detachment from conventional time making him a liminal figure. Thei...